Whakatāne is in for a drenching, with an orange heavy rain warning extending through to tonight.

Up to 200mm of rain is expected to fall in the 24-hour period to 8pm tonight, with localised downpours of 25-40mm an hour possible. The heaviest rain is expected to fall west of Whakatāne.

Whakatāne District Council described it as having the potential to be a significant rain event and urged locals to be prepared.

Flooding is expected in usual trouble spots across the region, like Awahou, Reid and Wainui roads.

Whakatāne police are among the local emergency services that are prepared to respond to any calls for help.

Senior Sergeant Cam MacKinnon urged drivers to limit their time on the road if possible.

“We don’t anticipate it to be anything other than a routine bit of heavy rain, but we are prepped in case we have to elevate our response.”